The Rethinking Business Communications Blog is committed to helping individuals and businesses use communications to achieve results.
Learn. Grow. Achieve great things by using communications the right way.

Pages

Saturday, 28 November 2015

How To Advance Your Career With Superior Communication Skills

Your communication skills,
or lack thereof, will make or break your career.

Evidently, there are other
important factors to consider when ascertaining how far you'd go in your
professional journey——qualifications, competence, executive presence/gravitas,
being at the right place at the right time, (aka plain old luck), etc.——but one
of the most important determinants of career progression is your communication
skills.

If you cannot communicate
effectively, you're done...unless you seek help and are almost obsessive about
making the necessary changes.

Remember that communication
encompasses the oral, the verbal and body language cues.

There is always a need for
effective communication at the workplace. In the UK for example, a new rule announced in August requires
public sector employees who deal directly with the public, (teachers,
policemen, council workers etc.), to have a minimum ‘C’ grade in English
language skills at GCSE level. To ensure compliance, managers will be obligated
to test their employees on how effectively the latter communicates with the
public.

Although most of us with
white collar jobs in Anglophone countries may speak English fluently, there is
a difference between speaking/writing English passably and truly communicating.

In fact, there is a crisis
of sorts of effective communication at the workplace, at all levels: From
recent graduates and young executives, to seasoned professionals and masters of
industry.

Companies too are struggling
to genuinely communicate with their staff. Savvy businesses are now challenging
their corporate communications professionals to consider creative ways to
trigger employee engagement. Moreover, boosting and protecting corporate
reputations, internally and externally, are persistent concerns. Due to
avoidable faux pas, often exacerbated by social media, communication and PR
crises are rife. Case in point: The top five communication blunders in 2014should
be regarded as a cautionary tale of what not to do when handling
corporate messaging.

Now as the proactive
professional in this corporate jungle, what can you do to (re)position yourself
as the high flyer in your pack?

1) Read frequently and
extensively

This is the number one piece
of advice I give during my coaching sessions.

There are no ways around it.
You must cultivate a habit of reading good materials to become a good writer.

For those who loathe
paperbacks or intimidating textbooks, there is a plethora of content available
on the Web in different formats.

Professionals have realised
that writing for cyberspace requires a different strategy——articles which are
often concise and easier to understand, are combined with visuals, audios and
other forms to entice readers.

Therefore read widely
and even outside your field, but read regularly. Well-written content, (worthy of
publication in the New York Times newspaper, Harvard Business Review magazines,
etc.), exposes you to new vocabulary, nuances in language, writing styles and
interesting structures which you subconsciously adopt to enrich your writing as
time elapses.

Join online communities like
Quora and LinkedIn and follow 'writing' groups. Subscribe to daily/weekly
emails from blogs, renowned writers and thought leaders but read something
daily, or a few times a week. It could be an article of 500 words or long-form
content of 2,000 words.

Just read.

2) Write, write, write!

Like any other muscle to be
built, you need to 'exercise' your writing muscle to become a better writer.
The more you write, the quicker you improve.

This is something I can
personally attest to as a blogger, business content creator and communications
coach.

It's easy to make excuses.
You could say that you don't have the time to write because you juggle multiple
assignments.

Or that writing is not
really necessary in your role as a software engineer, an accountant or an art
director; that you do things instead.

Or that you could simply pay
someone to write for you.

Note however that you will
be required to write; you just haven't realised how often you do so.

Emails requesting
information/approvals; complaints about technical glitches; proposals, reports
and recommendations; memos delivering bad news, sometimes badly-written, such
as Microsoft's infamous memo laying off thousands in 2014;
letters of resignation in the wake of scandals; public statements of apology;
etc. In your career, you may need to write them at some point. It will become
challenging for you the more demanding the position you hold or the more
critical the audience becomes.

Also be conscientious about
brutally editing and proofreading your work. You’ll soon observe that your
writing chops are becoming top notch.

3) Strengthen your speaking
skills

If you occasionally manage
to wiggle your way out of writing at work, you won't succeed in dodging presentations,
meetings and talks.

Yes, you’ll be required to
speak regularly and no, you won't be allowed to 'pass' in such situations.

It might seem daunting,
having to give presentations to your bosses or to unfamiliar crowds, or to be
suddenly called upon to speak, but do so anyway. In fact, embrace occasions to speak.

I get it: You're an
introvert and feel that everyone will judge you (unfairly) when you speak. Or
you may have some legitimate social anxiety about public speaking. Get
professional help for crippling phobias but then go ahead, in spite of
yourself, and do it.

Note that even seasoned
speakers, who get paid for their talent, admit that they sometimes get nervous.
In fact, many have 'rituals' they go through before every speaking engagement———short
prep talks in front of the mirror, power poses, eerie sounds made to 'wake up'
their voices etc.———they nonetheless prepare, channel their nervous energy for
greater impact and go on to wow their audiences.

It takes quite a bit of
practice and some courage but it can be done.

Speaking slowly but
purposefully, changing tone/pitch, pausing at key moments, gesticulating,
repeating phrases, rhyming...there are numerous tips for giving winning
speeches. TED talks are
renowned for being inspiring and engaging, so watch a couple of the videos
available online and learn from the experts.

Even silence speaks
volumes. Knowing how to discern body language cues will help you know the
approaches to take, especially in stressful situations.

You'll also need to be aware
of vibes you give off. Ask a trusted friend or colleague to point out telltale
signs. Interrupting someone, frowning, looking away when being spoken to, rolling
your eyes, grimacing, etc.——such ticks communicate annoyance, indifference or
a complete disregard for the other person...which might not be your intentions.

Listening is also a skill
that should be honed. When you combine active listening with observing
facial expressions, it becomes a highly effective tool of discernment.

Those sensitive enough to
interpret body language vibes usually save themselves grief further down the
line.

Take this point seriously.

Conclusion

The good news is that you
already have noticeable communication skills otherwise you wouldn't have landed
your current job.

However, if you’re aiming
for the accelerated path to professional advancement——your excellent
qualifications, experience and track record notwithstanding——you’ll need to
display superior communication skills.

This is how you do so:

Read constantly; consciously
improve your writing and speaking skills; and work on being perceptive of body
language vibes. Your perseverance will pay
off when you get signalled out
for leadership positions.

"Or that you could simply pay someone to write for you." Happens more often than most people think. Not saying that's a bad thing. Content is NOT king. Good content that sparks engagement is king. show less

There would be times when you will need to write yourself, either because of the sensitivity of the issue or because your position demands it. You won't be able to hire someone to do it. If you haven't taken steps to write effectively, what would you do?

Communication is really important and it will definitely bring some suitable benefits in our career. Therefore professionals are always taking the help of communication to build a good career and set a goal; it is the best way to get interacted with clients and customer and also facing interview. So the importance of communication is really essential and we should learn some tips to develop it.

Communication is the key factor behind every success. People are taking the help of communication to finish their works and it is quite helpful in career development also. This article describe the role of communication in career building and I hope while following certain tips from here we are able boost our career.Career Coach

Good communication skill is essential for a successful career. We need excellent language skills to discuss the work progress and other job related information. Effective communication makes your job easier and perfect. custom essay writing service

Top 30 Communication Blog - Feedspot

Welcome!

Look no further for tips about improving your business performance with communications. With effective communications, you will record favourable results in indicators that matter the most: productivity, reputation and employee engagement.

Topics covering management and workplace dynamics would also be discussed in engaging ways on this blog. Bookmark this page!